Red
by fire for liars
Summary: Russia decides to pay China a visit to check on him. Oneshot, slight Russia/China.


A/N: This was for a contest in a Hetalia fandom league I'm in. I was supposed to write a fanfiction with my least favourite pairing, so here it is! I hope you enjoy. Critique is welcome! Also, "_yao shenme_"means "What do you want?" in Chinese. It's much politer than it sounds.

It was dark.

China wished that it would be light again.

The sun was shining, but the world outside was dark. His people were dying! He was dying! The great immortal China was being stabbed in the back with his own knife, and no matter how hard he tried, his wounds would never heal. Everyone was poor. His own little civil war was looming over the horizon. The least civil war he would ever have.

China had received notes before. Notes telling him that it was all right that he was poor; he wouldn't be soon enough. Notes telling him not to worry, that his life would be fixed and his country's future written in stone. Notes that reminded him of his golden age, reminding him that it didn't have to end early, that he could still be victorious.

Notes that came every Thursday unsigned in a blank white envelope.

Would things really get better if he listened to the notes? So many things were happening at once. His people didn't like the way he was treating them, but he was trying his best. It was so hard during these times, so hard…

_Ding dong_.

China nearly jumped out of his chair. Whoever was ringing now should know better than to bother him! China walked briskly to the door, getting whatever business he needed to do now over and done with.

"_Yao shenme?_" He said as he opened the door half-way. The last syllable was cut off by a short intake of breath as China saw Russia waiting for him in the doorway. The latter had a smile on his face and seemed genuinely happy to see China.

"May I come in?" Russia asked, and before China could answer, Russia had politely pushed his way into China's foyer.

"What do you need, Russia?"

"Oh, me? Nothing." Russia looked around China's foyer calmly as if deciding how to redecorate it.

"Then could you please l—" China began.

"China, how have you been?"

China was momentarily caught off guard, but smiled a little to let Russia know he was okay and for him to _get_ _out of his house_. "I'm quite fine. Now, Russia, could you just l—"

Russia smiled at China. "I heard you've been having trouble with your people, da?"

"Yes, but I—"

"If they aren't happy, why should you be 'quite fine'?"

"Russia, I appreciate you coming." _Get him out of here._ China ignored the question. Why was Russia in his house? Maybe he wanted to help China, but now, China wanted no help from anyone. He would figure it out himself, and Russia wouldn't be able to help. Although, hadn't he been doing particularly well in his own affairs? "Would you like to sit down?"

Russia nodded and went to take a seat in China's living room, which was slightly strange, as Russia had barely ever visited China before. China sat down opposite him and tried not to stare at the water pipe lying next to Russia.

"Would you," _Could this be any stranger?_ China asked himself. "Like a drink?"

"I'm all right, thank you." Russia said, pulling out a bottle of vodka from the inside of his coat and taking a quick swig of it.

"R-Russia?"

"Yes?"

"Are you all right as well?"

"Me? Oh, I'm fine." Russia said. "I just needed to make sure that you were okay, Yao. I couldn't bear to have anything…happen to you."

How close of friends were they? How close could China say that they were, for Russia to be saying these things? Could he be trusted? Russia seemed like the one to hug someone while slowly sliding a knife between their shoulder blades, but he seemed so genuine. So true. He cared for China, didn't he?

Didn't he?

"I just—my…my people…" How close was he to snapping? China put his head in his hands and stayed silent. He was losing his own central battle. They wanted change, and he was giving it, but it was never enough. Never enough.

"Wouldn't it be better if everyone was equal?" China looked up at Russia. Russia had a look in his eyes that China had never seen before; a clear determination and a straight mind-set.

"I-I think so."

"China, you have been doing what's right for your people, da?" Russia said. "They have been wrong in saying that you are not helping. You are doing everything you are capable of. You just need some assistance."

His people, they would feel better. They would love him, if he could do the right thing.

"China, unite with me under our own flag."

"I…" He would finally be free of his troubles! He would be able to relax, he would be able to tell the truth when he was asked if he all right. "I will."

Russia embraced him, and China was taken aback for a moment. Everything was better now. He would mark this day in his history and never let it go.

October 1, 1949.


End file.
